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India in Zimbabwe 2013: Virat Kohli has to pick and choose his bowlers wisely

Nishad Pai Vaidya assesses India’s bowling options for the tour to Zimbabwe and who might be given preference.

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India in Zimbabwe 2013: Virat Kohli has to pick and choose his bowlers wisely

Vinay Kumar (above) is the only bowler with relatively more experience than young pacers like Mohit Sharma, Jaydev Unadkat and Shami Ahmed © AFP

Nishad Pai Vaidya assesses India’s bowling options for the tour to Zimbabwe and who might be given preference.

A young side under Virat Kohli commences its campaign in Zimbabwe with numerous candidates eyeing a long run in the side. In the absence of the heavyweights who took India to success in the recent times, the tyros have a chance to impress and perhaps seal their spots in the squad. In a previous article, we discussed the batsmen in contention for the series. Now, we will shift our focus to the bowling — something that has been India’s strength in the recent triumphs.

Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma formed a good unit during the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 and the subsequent tri-series in the West Indies. That they remained unchanged in majority of the games highlights how well they performed. With the trio given a breather and Irfan Pathan out injured, India are flying an inexperienced attack to Zimbabwe. India’s fast-bowling options for the tour are as follows: R Vinay Kumar, Shami Ahmed, Mohit Sharma and Jaydev Unadkat.

Vinay Kumar and Shami Ahmed seem to be the certainties as they have been a part of the squad in the previous tournaments. Having warmed the bench during the Champions Trophy, Vinay Kumar featured in the final of the tri-series in the Caribbean and bowled an economical spell. Shami flew to the West Indies to replace an injured Irfan Pathan. In his only game there, Upul Tharanga got stuck into the Indian bowling and smashed them to all parts of the ground. Nevertheless, he has shown promise in his previous outing and India have to handle him well to reap rich rewards from his talent.

Ravindra Jadeja’s presence in the side allows India to play the extra fast-bowler as he brings his slow left-arm orthodox into the equation. The tussle for the third pace bowler’s spot would be between Mohit and Unadkat. Picking a dynamic bowling attack — wherein each bowler brings in a different dimension — should be India’s strategy. Vinay Kumar is the nagging bowler whose accuracy is his biggest strength. Shami brings the brisk pace to the attack. So, Unadkat seems to be the best option for the third spot as his left-arm angle would provide more variety. Mohit is very similar to Vinay and may have to warm the bench during the initial outings.

Apart from Jadeja, India’s spinning options are Amit Mishra and Parvez Rasool. Mishra has been in the side since the Champions Trophy and this is his chance to prove his one-day credentials. Ravichandran Ashwin (rested for this series) and Jadeja had done a marvellous job — which kept Mishra out of the playing eleven.
The last time Mishra played One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for India was on the tour to West Indies in 2011. It was quite astonishing that he wasn’t considered for the one-day team thereafter as he picked 11 wickets in five games at an average of 18.09. Ashwin’s rise halted his progress, but he could have been given a run later. Having said that, he can establish himself as a back-up for Ashwin in the opportunities he gets. During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013, he highlighted his value in the shortest format and can carry that confidence into this tour, albeit after almost two months.

Giving him some competition would be the star from Jammu and Kashmir — Parvez Rasool. The Bijbehara lad’s rise to the national team has been a great story and he is an inspirational icon for his state even before his international debut. However, his opportunity may come later as Mishra would be given preference. If there are slow surfaces on offer, Kohli may even opt for the extra-spinner instead of the third seamer and that might open the door for Rasool.

India have to handle their resources wisely on this tour. It is a bit of a tricky situation as you want to get the best out of each candidate, yet give everyone opportunities on a rotational basis. That strategy also throws a few players into wilderness as they aren’t able to impress on the odd chance. The last time India toured Zimbabwe, they handed one-day caps to six players. Two of them — Pankaj Singh and Naman Ojha — have never donned the blue jersey again. The interesting thing is that they were given the solitary ODI apiece. This is something the team management must keep in perspective while charting out a plan for the roster in the series.

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_44)

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